Posts Tagged "well-being"

The Elders at Wesley Manor, located in Hattiesburg, MS, recently made a road trip to Red Bluff, nicknamed “Mississippi’s Grand Canyon.” A couple living at Wesley Manor came back from a trip to Red Bluff with pictures and stories that

Signature HealthCARE at Heritage Hall in Lawrenceburg, KY, joined the Eden Registry on June 23, 2017. Nestled in the rolling hills of Central Kentucky, this warm, hospitable community is home to 97 Elders. If you come for a visit, you

The Gardens at Depugh Nursing Center in Winter Park, Florida joined the Eden Alternative Registry on May 25, 2017. Home to 40 Elders they are situated on a historic 2.5-acre site in lovely downtown Winter Park. This beautiful home features

Christie Gardens in Ontario, Canada joined the Eden Registry on March 27, 2017. Located in Toronto’s Davenport Neighborhood, near Seaton Village and The Annex, Christie Gardens Apartments & Care has been serving Elders in Toronto for over 30 years. The

Signature Healthcare of Spencer County in Taylorsville, KY joined the Eden Registry on March 17, 2017. Located about 20 minutes from Louisville they are nestled in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains and hills. The towns of Louisville and Taylorsville

As change agents, remember when we had to fight to be heard about the impact of loneliness on the human spirit? In the nearly 14 years I’ve been doing this work, I recall a lot of strained conversations about well-being

We have all heard that people don’t quit companies; people quit managers. That may be true, but it could also be true that people don’t quit managers, they quit broken systems. Maybe they quit because they don’t fit it in,

This article of mine was published in PS Magazine, Issue 15 on Page 16. It’s based on a personal story that affirms, without a doubt, that home is where the heart is. Jackie loves the arts… opera in particular. At

Dad’s lesson #5 is that specialists aren’t always special. Nancy Fox would tell you that as human beings, we are all about creating constituencies. It is amazing how fast a group of complete strangers can bond and begin to demonstrate

Lesson #4 from Dad is about the power of communication. We definitely experienced some poor communication during our journey with Dad. Part of it was the communication that should have happened, but didn’t. For example, when we said “no” to

Lesson #3 from Dad’s end-of-life journey was all about the search for meaning. Eden Alternative Principle Six states: “Meaningless activity corrodes the human spirit. The opportunity to do things we find meaningful is essential to human health.” When we teach

I am always so inspired by this organization’s commitment to living the ten principles of The Eden Alternative in big ways. Undaunted, they have changed lives by arranging multiple Elder vacations for the people who live in their communities. There was

My father passed away recently. It was unexpected; a stroke. Our family found ourselves in a 3-week journey with Dad that was infuriating, exasperating, surprising, and heartwarming all at the same time. I suspect it was much the same as

This article, published in PS Magazine in the May/June 2016 issue, Pages 18-22, highlights how Elder stories are a source of healing not only on a personal level, but on a global one as well. Explore how two unique stories illustrate the vast

This post by Dr. Al Power was published on ChangingAging.org on August 10, 2016. Recently, I posted a provocative argument for considering locked doors as physical restraints. I have received many comments about the post; and as promised, I am

This post by Dr. Al Power was published on ChangingAging.org on July 30, 2016. Imagine if we considered locked doors in memory care wards as restraints. Having given many seminars on restraint reduction 15-20 years ago, I am very familiar

This article was published in PS Magazine in the November/December 2015 issue, Pages 22-23. After my mother passed away in 2010, my family gathered at a Mexican restaurant in San Antonio, Texas to take comfort in the ballads sung

A heart-warming story from Mercy Retirement & Care Center, Oakland, CA Emily Sanderson, a Certified Eden Associate and music therapist, at Mercy Retirement & Care Center had an idea. She knew many of the Elders had taught children or cared

I recently watched a video about finance. The speaker began by explaining why he had an old beat-up kitchen table on stage. He talked about the history of that kitchen table, which came from his home. Although he discussed it

What I love most about the concept of care partnership is the opportunity to discover new teachers and even be surprised by who they might be. The 18-year anniversary of my father’s passing has just recently come and gone, and

Pete Rose is the all-time Major League leader in hits, games played, and at-bats. He won three World Series rings, three batting titles, one Most Valuable Player Award, two Gold Gloves, the Rookie of the Year Award, and also made

4000 Valley Square in Grand Forks, ND, joined the Eden Registry on April 14, 2016. Elders in this community enjoy aging in place while benefiting from the many amenities this full continuum-of-care campus has to offer. Divided into 3 communities,

Yesterday, McKnight’s posted an interesting article highlighting The Eden Alternative’s Principle One — access it here. For those of you who need a little context, Principle One of the Eden Alternative Philosophy states that “The three plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom account

“How has Mrs. Smith handled change in the past?” This was how we predicted how well a new nursing home resident would cope with adjusting to placement in 1983. For the most part, this simplistic rule of thumb seemed to

Yesterday, the Washington Post published an article entitled “Promise You’ll Never Put Me in a Nursing Home.” I agree with Dr. Bill’s Thomas’ assertion in this piece that having the right language for what we’re asking for is really the

Riverside Care and Rehabilitation in Calhoun, KY, joined the Eden Alternative Registry on 1/25/2016. Located in McClean County, they are home to 73 Elders that are enjoying their recently remodeled home. They have new hardwood floors, gorgeous paint colors and

Last summer, we had the pleasure of working with 20 nursing homes from California and Colorado for a grant project of ours. One of the grant activities involved connecting project participants with culture change leaders who had an exceptional track

Since 2011, three states have provided funded registration for this training to hundreds of nursing home employees through the support of CMP funds. This year, Oklahoma is stepping up to the plate by welcoming geriatrician and award-winning author Dr. Al Power to facilitate three Dementia Beyond Drugs events in May 2015.

Imagine that an Elder is at the end-of-life and surrounding her bedside are 4-6 people tenderly singing songs that are meaningful to her. Their voices are creating an environment that is providing peace and tranquility for her and the care partners who are with her at that time.

Park Place Elder Living in Mt. Pleasant, IA has been holding community meetings with all care partners (Elders, employees, and family members) for six years now. For them, it has remained a vibrant and important gathering time for the community which helps them to grow closer and improve life throughout the home.

Living with dementia is about changing abilities, not necessarily growing older. You can be a younger adult and still live with dementia. It’s true that, statistically speaking, a large number of people living with dementia are older people. But to compartmentalize the experience of dementia as an aging issue alone is a very bad habit on the part of society.

Last week, someone asked me to clarify some things about our Dementia Beyond Drugs training that made me realize that there are still some misconceptions floating around out there regarding the vision behind it. I’d like to share some of my thoughts on this, while noting that Dr. Al Power, the award-winning author of the book by the same name, may have a few of his own.

You might think that the Eden Alternative Home Office Team might not have much new to learn when it comes to understanding and living what Elderhood has to offer. After all, we are immersed in the concept all day, every

We all know the scene. You are very a busy person, running here, there and everywhere. It is not unusual for you to grab a quick meal over the kitchen sink, while driving in the car, sitting in front of

The arts have an ability to sooth, move, and inspire us. When our lives are touched by the creativity of others, we often feel “called” to get in touch with our own. With this in mind, conference-goers at the Eden

A Peep Show! Yes, a Peep Show that even made the front page of their local newspaper. We have it on good authority from Sandra, an Elder at Denali Center, that they hosted a Peep Show this week. Every one

Traceway Retirement Community is an Eden Registry Member in Tupelo, MS. Their employees unite with the larger community to help show their Eden Alternative journey, not just talk about it. Not only do they work to eliminate the three plagues

We are very excited to announce that Sherbrooke Community Centre has been on the the Eden Alternative journey for 15 years; and what a wonderful 15 years it has been. We have so many reasons to celebrate and so many

The April issue of Provider features an article that challenges Americans “to grow up – or just grow old.” This caught my eye, as we talk a lot about perspectives on aging at The Eden Alternative. The issue is particularly

Several weeks back I posted a blog featuring an interview with John King, author of the best-selling book Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization and a keynote speaker at the 2014 Eden Alternative International Conference. During

One mantra that Dr. Thomas has consistently put forth is “when the Eden Alternative is embraced, you create a home where love matters.” We are reminded of this every time a new organization joins the Eden Registry. When leaders understand

As we begin the New Year, our webinar series draws to a close. We have discussed the limitations of a narrow biomedical view of dementia and have learned how even our efforts to be person-centered can often fall short. And

What feeds your passion in caring for Elders? Is it the state and federal regulations? Is it the quality measures you are tracking? Is it the new guidelines coming out with the Affordable Care Act? Is it QAPI? Is it

I hold dear a particular moment during the 2010 Eden Alternative International Conference in Denver. During the evening welcoming ceremony, residents from the North Star Community in Denver gathered in a circle at the center of the space and began

Today, as I celebrate another birthday, I marvel at life’s twists and turns. This has been another surprising year, another opportunity to grow and to engage meaningfully with the world around me. And I look forward to the surprises that

Over the last couple of months, Virgil Thomas and I have blogged quite a bit about the impacts of ageism on both Elders and youth. In these blogs, we encouraged readers to embrace fully what ageism actually means: “prejudice against

The above questions were posed by James Stockdale, a retired admiral and highly decorated Vietnam War veteran, to open his introductory remarks in the 1992 Vice-Presidential debates. They were meant as a segue to a brief bio, for a TV

Advance care planning involves communicating about anticipated medical choices throughout the adult lifespan (including Elderhood), focused on the individual’s goals and values. Have you had this conversation yet? If not, you are not alone. Studies show that less than 50%

Communicating with Elders during transitions in care is crucial. Strangers cannot communicate well with strangers, or about strangers. If the use of healthcare resources, especially hospital care, is to be optimized to the individual, then relationships have to be built

Today, the Call for Presentations opens for the 2014 Eden Alternative International Conference. Strike a Chord, Resonate Well-Being. Scheduled from April 30 to May 2, 2014 in Nashville, Tennessee, the conference’s theme highlights the power of the Eden Alternative Domains of

The Beverly Centre Glenmore Calgary, AB, Canada joined the Eden Registry on May 23, 2013. The Beverly is home to 215 Elders and they also provide meaningful experiences to 40 Elders that attend the Adult Day Program. Beautifully decorated it

Washington Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Chipley, FL joined The Eden Registry on May 13, 2013. Located in a small rural town in the Florida panhandle, they are home to approximately 155 Elders. Person-directed care coupled with meaningful relationships is the

“This experience has been eye-opening and inspiring!”, a quote from one of the participants at the Neighborhood Guide Training in Conneautville, PA. The training was generously hosted by Rolling Fields, an Eden Registry Member. Twenty-four leaders, committed to growing empowered

As we come upon National Nursing Home Week, the reality is that we aren’t likely to see a special section of the greeting cards aisle in the store dedicated to this theme. But who needs greeting cards anyway! I

A few days ago I was lecturing my 14 year-old about safety and his passion for snowboarding and long boarding (skateboarding with a longer board). “Mom,” he told me, “You are asking me to hold back on what I love!”

An article published in today’s issue of McKnight’s cites the slow progress in nursing homes achieving reductions in the use of antipsychotics as sought by CMS. In stark contrast to this report, I had the privilege to hear about a

Culture change with The Eden Alternative strengthens quality across the organization. The Eden Alternative is about so much more than bringing in cats, dogs and birds to a nursing home. There are tools, resources, education, experts, consultants, guides, and much

“I have seen there is no more powerful way to initiate significant change than to convene a conversation… It is always like this. Real change begins with the simple act of people talking about what they care about.” – Margaret

Kingston Nursing Center in Conway, South Carolina is having a great time honoring National Scrabble Day. The team thought it would be fun to honor National Scrabble Day and the hot new game “Words with Friends” together. The Administrative Secretary

A recent article in McKnight’s Long Term Care magazine highlights a study that concludes it is safe in most cases to eliminate antipsychotic drugs without risking adverse outcomes for Elders. This study supports the current initiatives from CMS, AHCA, and

Being an empowering facilitative leader is the single most important aspect of the culture change journey. For person-directed care to become a reality, facilitative leaders must create an environment flexible enough that teams can make decisions on the spot and

I just saw the results of an interesting survey published in the March issue of Provider Magazine. The source is the My Innerview Skilled Nursing Employee Engagement Satisfactions Surveys collected in 2012 by National Research Corporation. The question from the

Twenty individuals became Neighborhood Guides at the end of a five-day training experience in Rochester, New York this past week. Sixteen attendees were from Kirkhaven Transitional & Long-Term Care in Rochester and four were from Schlegel Villages in Ontario, Canada.

Erin Partridge, MA, ATR, RYT, Art Therapist, Life Enrichment Coordinator – Salem Lutheran Home, Oakland, CA We spent a sunny afternoon on the Terrace arranging our recent artwork into a ‘gallery’ on the wall of the activity room. As we

About The Eden Alternative®

The Eden Alternative® is an international, non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to creating quality of life for Elders and their care partners, wherever they may live. Through education, consultation, and outreach, we offer person-directed principles and practices that support the unique needs of different living environments, ranging from the nursing home to the neighborhood street.